I held the handle up and pulled the trigger and the pin released, just like it does when it is down. Whether or not the pin protruded past the bolt face I don't know. So I may have experienced what you described. But you can definitely push the bolt forward and pull the trigger, whether the bolt handle is all the way up or all the way down, and the firing pin releases. Again, I don't know if there is a difference in how far the pin goes.